Spirited Swords, Part 2: Five Living Blades

Welcome back! Ready for more swords? In Part 1, I listed blades that, like the Soul-Devouring Sword in Ice Fantasy, were possessed and/or cursed. These swords were animated or driven by forces that initially existed outside of their steel or bronze. Now I’d like to cover swords in a slightly different category: Living blades. Unlike cursed swords, these weapons have a little bit more ambiguity because they have their own intelligence and therefore their own agenda. Just like with people, whether you get along with a living sword is a matter of personal compatibility rather than because the sword itself is good versus evil. So here are another five blade displaying a different kind of spirit! Again, I will include at least one update of the exact sword in modern media along with one echo, a similar media sword possibly inspired by the myth.

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Two Major Love Days: Part 1—Valentine’s Day

For better or for worse, Valentine’s Day has passed, leaving some with beautiful memories, some with new relationships, and some with cross sighs. I hope yours was one of the better ones! Whether you love it or hate, celebrate it or shun it, Valentine’s Day remains a popular day to celebrate love and romance. If that’s not your thing, you may be glad to have it behind you. However, if you can’t get enough with one love day, there’s more ahead, like White Day! The number of love days that exist around the world is staggering. I’d like to take a look into two of the biggest, starting with that flood of chocolate, greeting cards, and anxiety, Valentine’s Day.